Notes and Editorial Reviews

The overture's whisper-quiet theme softly oscillates on the strings but is soon dispelled by a passage of Franckian vigour (2.10) and a fine Dukas-style galop (9.10). The music has plenty of flashing inspiration (11.20) and the swooping French romanticism almost tips over into Viennese schmaltz (14.20). The piece ends climactically in triumphantly chattering strings (16.10). The overture thankfully lacks any of the cheesy kitsch into which the rhapsodies all too frequently collapse.

The nightmare scenery of the finale of the second symphony carries over into the same territory in the third symphony. One has the vividly registered feeling that Mandeal has uncorked the genie's flask. The symphony (his last) is in two ganglingRead more 18 minute movements flanking a 13 minute central episode which floats in warm Delian atmosphere. The work has some sweeping, richly ambient string writing. In the finale a choir joins the orchestra rising to a glorious peak (hands across the ocean to Delius's A Mass of Life) at 10.55. That finale also features sacerdotal bells and an almost visual hieratic approach. This music will be warmed to by those who like Scriabin or Szymanowski (Krol Roger). Notable are the upward sweeping waves of sound at 14.40.

Customer Reviews

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